#Japan #Niigata #Hackathon #KOSEN #Michibiki

Innovative Hackathon Event for KOSEN Students

On January 25, 2026, a groundbreaking hackathon event featuring students from technical colleges across Japan was held. The event, known as the "MICHIBIKI Disaster Emergency Report Hackathon," was centered around the application of the Michibiki disaster and crisis management communication service, introduced by KOIYAL, a company focused on training and educational development in New Niigata.

A Journey Since 2020

The initiative to educate the next generation using Michibiki began in 2020. Over the years, various activities have been conducted, including idea-creation workshops and the development of educational materials focused on satellite positioning and disaster management. This year marks a significant evolution in the project, transitioning from traditional idea development to actual product creation. This first-ever hackathon format aimed to enhance students’ ability to transform ideas into tangible solutions. After several months of hard work, nine students from the Okinawa, Toyota, and Nagaoka KOSENs successfully created prototypes, ready for presentation in an offline event.

Hackathon Overview

• - Date: December 9-18, 2025 (6 Online Lectures), January 24-25, 2026 (Offline Event)
• - Venue: X-NIHONBASHI BASE
• - Participants: Nine students from three KOSENs (2-3 years of study)
• - Organizers: Cabinet Office, Michibiki Satellite System Service Company
• - Planning and Management: Nagaoka College of Technology, KOIYAL
• - Support: Prossell Inc. (Mentoring and Technical Supervision)

Online Course Highlights

• - Understanding GPGGA Packets / Receiver Usage
• - Understanding QZQSM Packets
• - Automatic Decoding via Pipeline
• - Visualization of Geographic Information
• - Presentation Skills

Participating Teams and Their Innovations

Three highly motivated teams comprising nine students participated in this hackathon:
1. Okinawa KOSEN: Developed "SatOS," a device that allows individuals to call for help by simply pressing a button, even in chaotic emergency situations.
2. Toyota KOSEN: Created the "MICHIBIKI GUARDIAN TAP," a power strip equipped with a Michibiki receiver, aimed at preventing electrical fires post-earthquake.
3. Nagaoka KOSEN: Designed "Hair 日和," a communication device that delivers emergency disaster information seamlessly integrated into daily routines, catering to those disinterested in traditional media.

The students showcased their technical skills, using hardware control and application development to ensure their innovations could transmit essential information, even when ground communications fail.

Feedback and Participants' Voices

Post-event surveys indicated extremely positive feedback from participants, affirming the educational value of the project:

• - Overall Satisfaction: 4.44 / 5.0
• - Likelihood to Recommend to Friends: 8.22 / 10.0
• - Increased Interest in Space Technology: 4.67 / 5.0 (significant improvement compared to before participation)

Many students expressed how this experience expanded their skill sets beyond the classroom. Some of their comments included:

• - “Participating in this ongoing project since 2020 allowed me to gain practical skills not taught in class. I want to promote these technologies in the future.” (Second-year student)
• - “I found the Michibiki positioning system and disaster reports incredibly fascinating. I want to continue exploring new services in this field.” (Third-year student)
• - “Receiving direct feedback from working professionals during the offline presentation event was invaluable.” (Second-year student)

Future Prospects

Transitioning from idea-level discussions to actual implementations through this hackathon initiative has significantly contributed to cultivating young engineers who can drive the social application of space technology. The project enhances awareness of the Michibiki satellite system, fostering interest in the space industry among KOSEN students. Moving forward, KOIYAL intends to promote an environment where students can contribute to the future workforce in the space industry.
Further, we are distributing idea lesson materials for free to technical colleges nationwide, with in-person workshops also available for interested institutions.

Recent Outreach:

• - September 19-22, 2023 – Kagawa KOSEN (8 students across 3 disciplines, 4th and 5th years)
• - January 25, 2024 – Kushiro KOSEN

Contact For More Information

• - Email: [email protected]
• - Inquiry Form: Contact Form

Company Overview

• - Company Name: KOIYAL, Inc.
• - Location: 1098-1 Honcho-dori, Chuo Ward, Niigata City, Niigata
• - Representative: Yoshihiro Arakawa, President
• - Founded: October 2020
• - Business Activities: Human resource development consulting, training, and educational projects
• - URL: KOIYAL Website